"We are currently updating our website and doing maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Home » AIRLINE NEWS » Reduced oxygen levels might be the new solution to jet lag

Reduced oxygen levels might be the new solution to jet lag

Published on : Friday, October 21, 2016

Touring between time zones is not a new thing for regular travellers but leaves them tired, dizzy and sick. What comes next is combating the jet lag. The recent studies have shown that reduced oxygen levels in an aeroplane cabin could help to combat jet lag.

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, conducted experiment on mice where it was found lowering oxygen levels in the air we breathe may aid recovery after the move.

They were subjected to six-hour jump ahead in daylight hours and recorded the time taken for them to readjust their eating, sleeping and running habits. For those exposed to a constant oxygen level took an average of 7.4 days to adapt. But those whose oxygen levels were reduced by a few per cent for 12 hours prior to the change in lighting schedule took two days less, the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, reports.

Commercial airliners currently pressurise cabins to the same air density as a city 6000 to 8000 feet (1800 to 2400 metres) above sea level. The low-pressure help to save the wear and tear on the aeroplane; however, the lower oxygen levels leave some passengers suffering from airsickness.

Airlines are now considering ways to increase the pressure on flight to help people feel better. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been crafted so that it can be pressurised to the equivalent of lower altitudes for this reason. The study continues saying that there might be a trade-off between in-flight wellbeing and jet lag recovery times.

According to the researchers, oxygen modulation is proposed as therapy for jet lag.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was rewritten from news.com.au